2010 03

Monthly Archives: March 2010

Hi, gang. Some words come out of your mouth, and you hardly feel them. Others do gymnastics, giving your mouth a real workout as they burst out into the world. Herewith, some of my favorite words to say because of … Continue reading →

Last week, we experienced the ides of March, or March 15. Since I can never pass March 15 without thinking of Shakespeare, this week’s words all appear in the great man’s work. If they don’t inspire you to write like … Continue reading →

Recently I talked about keeping a writing journal. No matter what form your journal takes, you should write in it every day. Today, I’m offering you an exercise to wake up your imagination. Whether you write action-packed thrillers or B2B … Continue reading →

Hi, all. If you look at the top of the page, no farther up, up above the title banner. Yes, there. See it? There’s a new tab: Language Resources. On that page, I’ve collected a list of books and Web … Continue reading →

This week’s list is a random collection of words. Use them in good health! Billet-doux: a love letter Eschew: shun, reject, avoid Selectarian: someone who chooses everything she eats Baneful: harmful Clickworker: someone who works on a computer without working … Continue reading →

Oxford comma. Harvard comma. Serial comma. They all mean the same thing: the comma that comes right before the and in a series. As in: Sean ate eggs, pancakes, and bacon for breakfast. That second comma is the one we’re … Continue reading →

March 4 was National Grammar Day. To celebrate, all of this post’s words are grammar-related. Gerund: a verb that is acting as a noun, in English usually with the -ing ending Participle: a verb that is acting as an adjective … Continue reading →

It’s National Grammar Day! How will you celebrate? Purchase some new grammar books? Here are a few (they’re all on my wish list, in case you were wondering): The Careful Writer The Deluxe Transitive Vampire Oxford Guide to Plain English … Continue reading →

Climb out of stygian ignorance through assiduous study of these words: Assiduous: diligent Edify: to teach to encourage improvement intellectually, morally, or spiritually Stygian: dark, hellish Gastronome: a gourmet Hyperlocal: a very small area or community, such as a neighborhood … Continue reading →